• Hiuen Tsang, hailed as the prince of pilgrims, visited India during the reign of Harsha. Born in China in 612 C.E., he became a Buddhist monk at the age of twenty. During his travels, he visited various sacred places of northern and southern India.

• Hieun Tsang spent about five years in the University of Nalanda and studied there. Harsha admired him for his deep devotion to Buddha and his profound knowledge of Buddhism. Hieun Tsang carried with him 150 pieces of the relics of Buddha, a large number of Buddha images in gold, silver, sandalwood and above all 657 volumes of valuable manuscripts.

• His Si-Yu-Ki provides detailed information about the social, economic, religious and cultural conditions during the reign of Harsha.

• According to Hieun Tsang, law and order prevailed throughout the empire, as the law-enforcing agencies were strong. The pilgrim records the principal penalties and judicial ordeals practised in India at that time. Corporal punishment for serious offences was in practise. But death penalty was usually avoided. Offences against social morality and defiance of law were punished by maiming. Harsha travelled across the kingdom frequently to ensure his familiarity with his people. He was accessible to people and kept a closer watch on his tributary rulers.

• Hiuen Tsang visited South India to Andhra Desa and Kanchipuram, which was ruled by the Pallava kings. However, Hiuen-Tsang is reported to have seen at Kanchi one hundred Buddhist monasteries and 10,000 priests belonging to the Mahayana school.

• Hieun Tsang visited Kamarupa during the reign of Bhashkara Varmana.